OAKLAND, CA - JUNE 17: Manager Ron Washington #38 of the Texas Rangers takes pitcher Yu Darvish #11 out of the game in the bottom of the sixth inning against the Oakland Athletics at O.co Coliseum on June 17, 2014 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

Photo: Thearon W. Henderson, Getty Images

OAKLAND, CA - JUNE 17: Manager Ron Washington #38 of the Texas...

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OAKLAND, CA - JUNE 17: Stephen Vogt #21 of the Oakland Athletics hits an RBI single, scoring John Jaso (not pictured) in the bottom of the third inning against the Texas Rangers at O.co Coliseum on June 17, 2014 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

Photo: Thearon W. Henderson, Getty Images

OAKLAND, CA - JUNE 17: Stephen Vogt #21 of the Oakland Athletics...

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Oakland Athletics' Derek Norris swings for a two run double off Texas Rangers' Jason Frasor in the eighth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, June 17, 2014, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

Photo: Ben Margot, Associated Press

Oakland Athletics' Derek Norris swings for a two run double off...

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OAKLAND, CA - JUNE 17: Eric Sogard #28 of the Oakland Athletics is congratulated by teammates after scoring in the bottom of the fourth inning against the Texas Rangers at O.co Coliseum on June 17, 2014 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

Photo: Thearon W. Henderson, Getty Images

OAKLAND, CA - JUNE 17: Eric Sogard #28 of the Oakland Athletics is...

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OAKLAND, CA - JUNE 17: Jed Lowrie #8 of the Oakland Athletics gets caught in a rundown by Adrian Beltre #29 of the Texas Rangers in the bottom of the fifth inning at O.co Coliseum on June 17, 2014 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

Photo: Thearon W. Henderson, Getty Images

OAKLAND, CA - JUNE 17: Jed Lowrie #8 of the Oakland Athletics gets...

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OAKLAND, CA - JUNE 17: Derek Norris #36 of the Oakland Athletics trots around the bases after hitting a three-run homer against the Texas Rangers in the bottom of the six inning at O.co Coliseum on June 17, 2014 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

Photo: Thearon W. Henderson, Getty Images

OAKLAND, CA - JUNE 17: Derek Norris #36 of the Oakland Athletics...

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OAKLAND, CA - JUNE 17: Tommy Milone #57 of the Oakland Athletics pitches in the top of the first inning against the Texas Rangers at O.co Coliseum on June 17, 2014 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

Photo: Thearon W. Henderson, Getty Images

OAKLAND, CA - JUNE 17: Tommy Milone #57 of the Oakland Athletics...

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OAKLAND, CA - JUNE 17: Derek Norris #36 of the Oakland Athletics is congratulated by hitting coach Chili Davis #30 (R) after Norris hit a three-run homer against the Texas Rangers in the bottom of the six inning at O.co Coliseum on June 17, 2014 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

There are things in baseball that cannot be explained. Like the Chicago Cubs. Like the San Francisco seagulls knowing what inning it is. Like the fact that Yu Darvish cannot beat the A's.

He beats everyone else, with regularity. Check out the All-Star numbers he carried into Tuesday night: 7-2, 2.11 ERA. Any manager would take him in an important game, anytime. But he is stone-cold dominated by Oakland.

In a 10-6 win before 21,288 at the Coliseum, the A's left-handed hitters went after Darvish as if he were lobbing softballs in a public park. One after another, they drilled line drives on a dead-pull clothesline. The only right-handed hitter in the lineup, Yoenis Céspedes, saw nothing but Darvish's best and went hitless. Most everyone else feasted, and the onslaught seemed almost preordained.

Darvish is now 1-8 lifetime against the A's, those eight losses coming consecutively. Manager Ron Washington knows all about it, and he gave Darvish an extra day of rest after his last start, a 117-pitch shutout of the Miami Marlins. But nothing seems to work. This was a reminder of his April 28 start against the A's in Texas, when he gave up four runs and threw 83 pitches in just 3 1/3 innings, the shortest start of his career.

Looking ahead to this start on Monday, Darvish told reporters through a translator, "Greg Maddux told me he didn't really have good numbers throughout his career against Arizona. To know that a great pitcher like him had a team like that, it kind of alleviates my thoughts."

So, what's the deal, you dislike the A's?

"I love them," he responded. And they love him right back. Absolutely can't wait to see him again.

Three straight solid singles, by Jed Lowrie, Stephen Vogt and Alberto Callaspo, scored a run in the second inning, and Vogt scored when right fielder Alex Rios' relay throw seemed to sail right through rookie second baseman Rougned Odor. Vogt later lashed two run-scoring singles, and John Jaso drove home another with a sacrifice fly to deep center.

Darvish left trailing 5-3, but the graffiti on his mural wasn't quite complete. When Derek Norris crushed a three-run, pinch-hit homer off reliever Shawn Tolleson in the sixth, two of those runs were charged to Darvish. And that was only the beginning for Norris. When he blasted a two-run double for 10-6 in the eighth, it meant five RBIs for a man who hadn't even started the game.

It certainly wasn't a perfect night for the A's. They had two baserunners, Vogt and Lowrie, tagged out on the bases on the same play. A couple of defensive misplays, by Josh Donaldson at third and Callaspo at second, triggered Texas' three-run rally in the seventh. But this night was about Darvish, the most unsettled ballplayer on an action-packed evening. The A's are in his head, and his shoes, and very possibly his suitcase as well.